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Can we discuss setting up a vehicle APRS tracker? There are obviously resources and discussions for this out there, but, I find reading some of the OF HAM stuff pretty painful. As far as I can tell there are a couple of options. - Temporary Installations involve a mag mount or clip on antenna, and a HT with a tinytrak or a contained tracker. - Fixed Installations seem to be either a dedicated wired in version of the above, or some fancy radio that has APRS beaconing. Given that you could go #2 in a vehicle with enough effort to wire things in and put in a proper device, you could be a mobile digi or IGATE, I suppose. But, I would think the most important feature would be smart beaconing, so you don't just generate more noise. Does anyone here run the full kit with the rig and a GPS device importing waypoints from the radio? Why?
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Nov 28, 2011 17:42
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| # ? May 9, 2024 22:15 |
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I used to run a D700 in my car hooked up to a GPS before it got totalled. These days I mostly use a D72 HT in the airplane I rent to track it on APRS when flying more than an hour or so. Only 5w into a rubber duck antenna, but hey, at 7500 ft I don't need to work real hard to make it to a digi/igate.  In the car I'm planning to get next month I already have an IC-2880 I plan to install in it and I'm thinking I might get a Tracker2 as well to connect to it to do APRS. It can be a simple tracker most of the time, but if I want to be more active I can break out the netbook running Xastir and use it as a TNC.Talking D-STAR on 440 and APRS on 2m. gently caress Analog. 
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Nov 28, 2011 23:27
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RIP AO-51.  Sucks! AO-51 was a great bird and I had several dozen QSOs on it. Time to break out the all-mode rigs and start humping VO-52 again...
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Nov 30, 2011 09:15
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By the time I got into amateur radio, AO-51 was already pretty spotty so I've never been able to use it. SO-50 (Saudisat) has been working though, and it's FM.
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Nov 30, 2011 11:57
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I assembled a homebrew audio morse code keyer and a trickle charger/failover switch for my FT-817ND. Just a couple of diodes, a power resistor, and a fuse holder. The tuna can is both a heat sink and enclosure. It's probably over-designed, since it was calculated to handle inrush to an almost dead battery - I haven't felt it getting warm.  It ended up looking like some freaky robot face. The wires go to the 7Ah AGM battery and the radio. The socket is for a cheap netbook power supply. The supply makes a lot of RF noise in the nearby area, some bands worse than others, but it only gets picked up on the antenna, so I'm fine if I move the antenna outside. Also the battery lasts a good while, so I'll just run off the battery if operating with an indoor antenna.  The audio morse code keyer is based on KF3AD's design - I just had to use slightly different components. The input is mono sound from the computer, and the output is straight into the keying socket of the radio. The 9V battery clip might not be needed, since the relay is supposed to work with 12 volts too; I might replace it with PowerPoles. The relay will stick if the station isn't properly bonded with ground straps. It probably should have an enclosure too. The next thing to make is a ZS6BKW-like antenna. Vir fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Dec 1, 2011 |
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Dec 1, 2011 13:06
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Weird. So you're spitting audio CW, and converting it back into keying? Have you played around with keying via a serial port DTR line? That's how I've always done it. Neat approach, I wonder what the speed ceiling on that is though. Also your charger is cool! I too love putting things in tins. You mentioned Powerpoles, I strongly suggest them for everything DC! I use red/black for high current 12VDC, yellow/black for switched 12VDC (think relay control), white/black for 9VDC with the white pin rotated one way, blue/black for 5/6VDC with the blue pin rotated the other way.
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Dec 3, 2011 10:23
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I finally got a radio of my own today. Went to return the Wouxun handheld I'd been borrowing for a few months and got a gift, a Yaesu Memorizer FT-227R. With the tone board! Totally wasn't expecting it, but I'm really grateful. Even threw in an antenna for me. It's only got one issue, it doesn't like to change frequencies. I've got to open it up and spray contact cleaner directly onto the plastic wheel thingie (educate me!) that's connected to the knob. Then it works for a while. Long enough for me to get the frequency dialed in at least. I'm going to attempt to fix it sometime in the future if I can determine what needs to be fixed.
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Dec 5, 2011 02:54
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josiahgould posted:I finally got a radio of my own today. Congratulations on the new (to you) rig. Yaesu makes some good poo poo. You can find the instruction and technical manuals at FoxTango.org if you need them. EDIT: Speaking of Yaesu rigs, I have a friend in the local group looking for a (hopefully) functional FL-101 to match to a FR-101 that he recently picked up. If anyone has one they want to get rid of, or knows someone who does, let me know and I'll get you in touch. BigHustle fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Dec 5, 2011 |
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Dec 5, 2011 04:47
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Dec 5, 2011 16:34
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Jose Pointero posted:
I love stories about people who bring dead radios back to life, especially when they mod parts to get it to work, or add stuff like ctcss.
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Dec 9, 2011 00:03
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My VFO dial isn't copper, it's plastic with little windows, so I'm guessing it's optical. I cleaned it as well as I could though, and it seems to be working decently at the moment. Next up is figuring out why it won't work without a plug stuck in the accessory port... And then wiring up a plug so I can hook it up to my computer for APRS.
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Dec 9, 2011 18:17
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josiahgould posted:My VFO dial isn't copper, it's plastic with little windows, so I'm guessing it's optical. I cleaned it as well as I could though, and it seems to be working decently at the moment. Next up is figuring out why it won't work without a plug stuck in the accessory port... And then wiring up a plug so I can hook it up to my computer for APRS. I bet you're going to love the FT-227R manual without any mods.dk BS then. Based on your description, I suspected and was correct that the accessory plug has a loop in it to pass the "audio out" on one accessory pin right back into the "audio in" accessory pin. Lots of HF radios do this with a receive antenna jack and plug - my 735 has RX OUT and RX IN and a short factory-installed jumper cable between the two. Based on the schematic, you want pin 1 for your audio out (to computer), pin 2 for audio in (from computer) and pin 3 for PTT. Pin 4 is your "speaker in" which is what pin 1 is jumpered to normally, if you connect this to pin 1 on your cable you'll be able to hear the packet radio audio coming in. --- I found a hot deal on Craigslist this week and got excited, then disappointed. Tower: 52 foot Hy-gain crank-up, with base ready to install. $300. *whips out checkbook* Concrete: 2.5 yards at $80/yard plus $100 delivery fee. *pauses, keeps writing* Permits and surveys: WELP *puts away checkbook with sad look on face* It's really hard to get a tower permit here. The city planner seemed very annoyed that I had taken her away from her Words with Friends round and had the audacity to ask for anything less than a $10k construction permit for a new apartment building. So, not much help from them at all. Fortunately I don't think they're giving a poo poo about my 30 foot chainlink top-rail masts, so I'll keep right on with that. Would have been really nice to get a tower, but honestly I want a guyed climb-up that I can hang satellite beams with az/el rotors off of, cranks and hinges are janky. Think I'll save the tower for the someday farm. Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 11:05 on Dec 10, 2011 |
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Dec 10, 2011 10:52
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So I stumbled across my Yaesu VX-8 in a box and decided I'd take it for a spin again. I haven't been active for nearly a decade other than for a few months playing around with the VX-8 when I got it (for emergency management purposes, as I was a local EMC at the time). I quickly remembered why I didn't bother - it's pretty tough to get to anything useful with just an HT and rubber ducky near me. So I made this:  MUCH better. It's all still a bit bodged up as far as connectors go, and while I found my old Diamond SX-1000, I don't have enough stuff to even hook it up. I need to order some pieces parts in the next few days and figure out if I'm even close on SWR. APRS seems to be pretty ridiculous (in a "oh, cool - I actually like this rather than being bored talking to the greybeards on the local 2m repeaters"), but I'm having trouble making it to an iGate or anywhere that can get my position tracked. I lucked out last weekend, but that's been about it. I sure can hear a lot of stations though. Now I've got big idea about studying to get better than my Tech license so I can play on 10m. This will be the first time I've been living in a real house with a real yard and nobody to tell me what I can or can't do (no HOA), and that fact just kinda struck me......holy crap, I can actually put up some real antennas. Thus my starter home soldering disaster. Just wanted to stop by and post, as I've been making my way through the thread to get my feet wet again. I really barely remember what I'm doing anymore, yet 15 years ago I was totally into this stuff. I've sold most of it, I think. Still looking around in boxes and finding misc pieces parts. Everything I find is like a new toy. Neither of my power supplies work, so I guess that's going to be my first project before buying anything past my little HT.
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Dec 24, 2011 19:12
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You can work 10m with a tech license, albeit, just a small portion of phone. 28.300 to 28.500 Mhz Is the tech phone portion of 10m
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Dec 24, 2011 22:17
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mwdan posted:You can work 10m with a tech license, albeit, just a small portion of phone. I did know about that, but am just assuming I'll find action outside of where I'm allowed and just end up disappointed I didn't study and get it over with. Besides, I think after 15 or so years it's high time for me to upgrade. I'm sure doing so will refresh my memory of a lot of things that I haven't thought about in many years.
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Dec 25, 2011 02:51
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True enough, but, at least you can get on a bit of HF anyway. And 10m has been working pretty well lately.
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Dec 25, 2011 05:31
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mwdan posted:10m has been working pretty well lately. That's good to know. I heard it was picking up. First step is figuring out why this monstrosity (Astron VS-50M) is blowing fuses when I turn it on so I can figure out if I need a new power supply along with the radio. Edit: Woot! The MOV exploded. Clipped it and put in a new fuse and all is well. I can't find one in my parts box so it's on the list for my next order of junk. Motronic fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Dec 26, 2011 |
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Dec 25, 2011 17:20
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I have a question that may be completely stupid. Is there a such thing as a tunable crystal? I have an old Bearcat FM scanner that takes crystals for different frequencies. I've found a site where I can get them made for me in the frequencies I need, but the cost for a single one plus the shipping is putting me off a bit. Is there something I can plug in where the crystal goes and adjust it to the frequency I need?
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Dec 28, 2011 16:47
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I would think you could replace a crystal with a variable oscillator of some kind and it would work. The specifics are out of my knowledge though.
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Dec 28, 2011 19:50
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Whoohoo, just passed my General. Now I need to find an HF rig.
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Dec 29, 2011 02:17
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Motronic posted:Whoohoo, just passed my General. Now I need to find an HF rig. Go here for now! http://w4ax.com/
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Jan 3, 2012 02:57
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What would happen if someone were transmitting FM on an HF frequency? Would it sound strange or would it sound normal but just be a poor use of bandwidth? Could digital technology make for very high-fidelity audio using a small amount of bandwidth over very long distances? Edit: Is there anything technically limiting transmission mode at certain frequencies? Would AM on a UHF frequency sound any better than AM on VHF or HF given appropriate antennas at each spectrum? hummingbird hoedown fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Jan 9, 2012 |
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Jan 9, 2012 20:53
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Hummer Driving human being posted:What would happen if someone were transmitting FM on an HF frequency? Would it sound strange or would it sound normal but just be a poor use of bandwidth? Hummer Driving human being posted:Could digital technology make for very high-fidelity audio using a small amount of bandwidth over very long distances? Hummer Driving human being posted:Edit: Is there anything technically limiting transmission mode at certain frequencies? Would AM on a UHF frequency sound any better than AM on VHF or HF given appropriate antennas at each spectrum?
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Jan 10, 2012 06:12
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And AM is a total waste of power no matter what, IMHO. SSB digi would be far preferable than to send a carrier channel and then double up outputs, it's so wasteful.
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Jan 10, 2012 06:18
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Sniep posted:And AM is a total waste of power no matter what, IMHO. SSB digi would be far preferable than to send a carrier channel and then double up outputs, it's so wasteful. If SSB is a more efficient mode of AM, is there an analogy to FM?
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Jan 10, 2012 07:12
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Hummer Driving human being posted:If SSB is a more efficient mode of AM, is there an analogy to FM?
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Jan 10, 2012 07:45
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Welp, just passed my Technician, guess it's time to buy a radio of some sort...
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Jan 14, 2012 20:30
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a starwar betamax posted:Welp, just passed my Technician, guess it's time to buy a radio of some sort... What are you thinking? I'm looking at a Yeasu FT-2900R.
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Jan 14, 2012 23:19
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Hummer Driving Faggo posted:What would happen if someone were transmitting FM on an HF frequency? Would it sound strange or would it sound normal but just be a poor use of bandwidth? This sort of counts? Heh. I have a 10.7 MHz IF tap on one of my PCR-100's and my IC-735 will literally tune any mode any frequency, so I can hook a cable from the IF out to the IC-735's RX antenan in, tune the 100 to 93.3 MHz and tune the 735 to 10.7 MHz give or take a few, set it to FM and listen to classic rock hits from The Eagle. It sounds pretty good, actually.
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Jan 28, 2012 19:09
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Jonny 290 posted:Weird. So you're spitting audio CW, and converting it back into keying? Jonny 290 posted:Have you played around with keying via a serial port DTR line? I might put together a CW and RTTY serial interface for an old Amiga 1200 later though. Jonny 290 posted:That's how I've always done it. Neat approach, I wonder what the speed ceiling on that is though. Vir fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Jan 29, 2012 |
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Jan 29, 2012 03:05
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Hey you, off page two. The Hilberling PT8000 is now type approved and in production. I have zero idea who the hell is going to buy this thing.  Crystal filters and barely any DSP. No spectrum scope or sweep, though it does have dual RX. For the privilege of using this ugly box with 1980's tech, you can expect to pay: quote:13290 euros = 17376.6750 US dollars I know the upmarket needs a new radio now and then, but this appears to be a terrible, terrible deal.
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Feb 1, 2012 12:52
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Why yes I would love to spend seventeen hundred dollars on a brand I have never hear of, why do you ask? On the plus side, that is a rockin' microphone. I wonder if they sell it separately.
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Feb 1, 2012 17:08
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The Muffinlord posted:Why yes I would love to spend seventeen hundred dollars on a brand I have never hear of, why do you ask?  , actually.
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Feb 1, 2012 17:18
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The Muffinlord posted:Why yes I would love to spend seventeen hundred dollars on a brand I have never hear of, why do you ask? I think you missed a decimal place there. I agree though. Why would anyone want spend that much money on an unknown brand with old technology. If I had that sort of cash I would save $6000 and get an IC-7800. Spend the extra $6k on the antenna system.
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Feb 1, 2012 17:21
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Feb 1, 2012 17:26
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I'm starting to study up for the General class exam because I really want to do some HF. So, I was thinking of horizontal dipole placement and I was wondering if it even mattered how I aligned it. Aside from stations across the sea in Kamchatka, just about everything is to the south of my location. So, should I align my antenna in an East-West fashion for maximum reception, or would it even matter for HF since it bounces around the sky anyway?
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Feb 1, 2012 19:13
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Jose Pointero posted:
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Feb 1, 2012 20:58
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iostream.h posted:You can laugh, but I've always wanted one of those based strictly on how it looks. Like something out of my childhood in the '80's that I'd use to reach some Spielberg aliens or something. Yea my knee-jerk reaction is something like that. The I realize a ~$1000 SDR transceiver can do what these do and more. But damnit I like REAL knobs and buttons!
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Feb 2, 2012 03:55
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Jose Pointero fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Feb 2, 2012 04:48
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What's the general consensus on an HF vertical these days? I'm leaninig towards a Butternut HF9V, but dealing with the counterpoise and it's overall ungainliness seems to be a bit of an issue. Anything simple I'm overlooking?
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Feb 2, 2012 05:45
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